The season is probably over. The only way it's not is if the players completely give in to the owners after they realize they have no hope

That is not going to happen.

The earliest next season would start is November. Fehr is not going to cave in. He will wait until the owners feel the pinch of not having sold a single season ticket. Something that they did not feel this year.

He will wait until the owners feel the pinch of not having sold a single season ticket. Something that they did not feel this year.

I hate to tell you but the damage is already done so most of the owners don't care how many more games are cancelled. Of course the Rangers, Leafs, & Habs are going to be reading Bettman the riot act, but the league has 30 teams, many of which make little to no profit.

The players can sit out 3 seasons if they want, that just means they won't get paid for 3 seasons and they can never get those years back. When that finally sinks a deal will be signed

The decision to cancel the game was based on a number of factors and logistics was a concern.

The league was tasked with a unique challenge this year in building two rinks -- one at "The Big House" and one at Comerica Park -- and has a contract with the former that requires the NHL to pay for any expenses occurred by the University if the event was canceled later than Nov. 2. The NHL also owed $250,000 of the $3 million rental fee on Nov. 2.

This is not believed to be the biggest deal-breaker, however.

The league did not want to host such an event without the usual bells-and-whistles -- HBO's "24/7"show documenting the event would've been virtually impossible to pull off -- and it did not want the pageantry of the event tainted by the work stoppage.

The Winter Classic is touted by the NHL as a celebration of the game, a tough message to send after a league-imposed lockout has wiped out almost the first two months of the season.

The cancellation of the game does not spell the demise of the entire season altogether, however.

I hate to tell you but the damage is already done so most of the owners don't care how many more games are cancelled. Of course the Rangers, Leafs, & Habs are going to be reading Bettman the riot act, but the league has 30 teams, many of which make little to no profit.

First of all, the teams make more money than you think. Again, not even Leavit was privy to the actual audited financial statements.

Second of all, the more that gets canceled, the more revenue is lost.

And finally, the amount of damage to an owner once no a single season ticket is going to be felt much more then, than it is today.

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The players can sit out 3 seasons if they want, that just means they won't get paid for 3 seasons and they can never get those years back. When that finally sinks a deal will be signed

That is certainly true. However, do not blatantly ignore what that means to an owner. Let's take a value in the middle, say $200 million. Now, let's take in your 3 year scenario. Imagine being an owner, having a $200m investment, it does not generate a red cent. NOTHING. In fact, all you do have, are fixed costs that you keep paying every year. Must feel good, eh? And to whom, pray tell, are you going to try to sell this investment to? If the league folds, you have now flushed $200 million down the toiled, incurred millions in costs (like rental payments), and have taken a substantial bath.

And if you are a new owner, like the ones in Dallas, Buffalo and Tampa. You have sunk in hundreds of millions, only not to make ANYTHING back and are now stuck with an albatross.

First of all, the teams make more money than you think. Again, not even Leavit was privy to the actual audited financial statements.

Second of all, the more that gets canceled, the more revenue is lost.

And finally, the amount of damage to an owner once no a single season ticket is going to be felt much more then, than it is today.

Yeah they do, I've also been saying that for a while. But they want to make more, and they can always make up the lost net profit in future years, whereas the players lose the missing paychecks forever.